Revolving-door apparatus.



PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905.

J. A. PEARSON. REVOLVING DOOR APPARATUS.

APPL IOATIOIN I ILED JAN. 18, 1905.

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No. 785,047. PATENTED MAR.14,1905. J. A.-PEARSON.

REVOLVING DOOR APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED J'AN.18, 1905.

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Patented March 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. PEARSON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

REVOLVING-DOOR APPARATUS- SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,047, dated March 14:, 1905.

Application filed January 18, 1905. Serial No. 241,591.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN A. PEARSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Revolving-Door Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts. V

This invention relates to revolving vertical doors placed at the entrances of stores, hotels, and other buildings, the doors being of the well-known turnstile type, comprising a central vertical and revoluble post and a series of connected radial wings. In many instances an attendant is employed to look after such a door, or it may be a turnstile, to impart rotative movement thereto when persons desire to pass into or out of the building and to see to it that the door is rotated in one direction, so that incoming persons will pass through one side of the entrance and persons leaving will pass through the opposite side to avoid confusion and jamming in the doorway. When these doors are used in large stores or hotels, such an attendant is a practical necessity, as otherwise persons are almost sure to take the wrong side of the entrance, and so stop rotation of the door and sometimes cause severe injury to themselves or others.

In my present invention I dispense with an attendant and connect the door with continuously-operating driving means, so that under normal conditions the door is revolved continuously at proper speed, thereby indicating the proper side of the doorway to be taken in passing in and out, the connection between the door and the driving means being so arranged, however, that any unusual obstruction will readily effect stoppage of the door without interfering with the driving means. That provision must be made for' accidental stoppage of the door will be manifest, for a person might stumble or fall while passing through, and in such case if the movement of the door were not readily stopped thereby serious injury to the person might result.

The novel features of my invention will be fully described in the subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in the following claims. Y

Two principal types of revolving door are commonly used one in which the wings are rigidly secured to the vertical central post,

the ceiling being stationary and a part of the doorway, and the other in which the wings may fold together, the ceiling in such construction revolving with the door and I have shown my invention embodied in each type of door.

Figure 1 represents in partial vertical section a building-entrance and a revolving'door of the first type referred to with one embodiment of my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing my invention inconnection with a revolving door of the second type, wherein the ceiling rotates with the door; and Fig. L is a top plan view of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3.

The entrance or doorway of a building is shown at A and a vertical revolving door is mounted therein comprising a central, vertical, and revoluble post B, Fig. 1, having bearings b b at its upper and lower ends and provided with a series of rigidly-attached radial wings B which sweep around with their edges close to the curved side walls A of the entrance, Fig. 2. So far as concerns the particular construction of the door or the manner of mounting it in the step-bearing I) and guide-bearing I) on the ceiling, all being well known, I make no claim, as the same is not of my invention. In accordance with my invention, however, I attach to the upper end of the door-post B-(which is extended above the bearing 5) a rather large friction-disk 1, the periphery of which may be covered with leather, rubber, or any other suitable friction material, said disk being engaged by a cooperating frictionallyacting driving memher 2, shown as a friction-disk of relatively small diameter fast on the lower end of an upright shaft 3. This shaft is rotatably mounted in an upright elongated bearing 4 and heldin place by a collar 5, the said bearing being herein shown as a part of a horizontally-swinging arm 6, fulcrumed at 7 on a suitable pedeshas its small drivin ulley or sheave m cona: p

nected by an endless belt or band 9 with a large horizontal sheave 10, mounted on the upper end of the shaft 3.' The depending hub,

11 of the sheave 10 may be fixedly secured to the shaft 3; but I prefer to mount the sheave rotatably on the shaft, the lower end of the hub resting on the top of a sleeve 12, fast on the shaft and provided with a peripheral series of ratchet-teeth 13, Fig. 1, to be engaged by a pawl 14 on the hub 11, forming a clutch connection between the sheave and the shaft 3. As the power required is small, usually but a fraction of a horse-power, I have found an electric motor as very convenient, it rotating continuously and through the transmitting connections described effecting continuous and substantially uniform rotation of the door under normal conditions. The transmission of power from the small sheave m to large sheave 10 reduces the speed, which is still further reduced to the desired rate for the door by the relative diameters of the friction-disks 2 and 1. So long as there is no obstruction to its movement the door will be continuously revolved, persons passing into the building at one side and out at the other, the continuous movement of the door always indicating the proper side to take. Should the movement of the door he obstructed, as by a person falling or stopping inadvertently, no harm can be worked, because as soon as the door is stopped the disk 1 stops its rotative movement and the driving disk 2 will slip thereover without deranging the motor or the transmitting connection, whereby a safety connection is provided intermediate the motor and the door. The spring s serves to keep the friction-disks in proper engagement in a yielding manner, taking up what slight wear may be caused and making the slip between the disks easier when the door is accidentally stopped. If a person passing through the entrance gives the door a push or hurries it along faster than its normal speed, the pawl 14 will merely click over one or more of the ratchet-teeth 13 until the effect of the impulse is dissipated, obviating any derangement of the parts. As a very slight pressurea few pounds onlyserves to stop the movement of the door, no injury to life or limb of persons passing through the entrance can possibly occur.

-When my invention is applied to a door of the revolving-ceiling type, the same principle is employed as has been described, and substantially the same structure, with such slight modifications as may be necessary, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Therein the revolving circular ceiling or turntable D of the door is provided with a friction disk or ring (Z which is fr'ictionally engaged by the small frictiondisk 2, hereinbefore described, fast on the shaft 3, rotatable in the bearing-head 4 of the swinging arm 6. In Figs. 3 and 4, however, the arm is fulcrumed on a bracket 15, suitably supported on theusual ceiling 16, and in Fig. 3 I have shown the sheave 1O fixedly secured to the shaft, though manifestly the clutch connection shown in Fig. 1 may be used, if desired. A springsacting on the arm 6, maintains the disk 2 in proper frictional engagement with the disk or ring (Z on the ceiling of the door, and the operation of the apparatus .is precisely such as has been described with relation to Figs. 1 and 2.

The term door used in the specification and claims is intended to include vertical revolving turnstiles, gates, or similar devices.

My invention is not restricted to any particular construction of revolving door or motor. and the safety transmitting connection between the door and the driving means may be varied or changed in different particulars by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination with a vertical, revolving door, and continuously-operating motive means for the door, of a normally operating transmitting connection between the latter and said motive means, permitting ready stoppage of the door if its movement is unduly obstructed.

2. The combination with a vertical, revolving door, and a continuously-operating motor, of normally operating transmitting meansintermediate the motor and door, including a frictionally-acting member, to permit stoppage of the door independently of the action of the motor.

3. The combination with a door comprising a vertical, revoluble support and lateral wings, and acontinuously-acting motor, of a frictiontransmitting connection between the motor and the door, to normally efi'ect continuous rotation of the latter while permitting its ready stoppage if obstructed in its movement. 4. The combination with a vertical, revolving door, an attached friction-disk, and a continuously running motor, of transmitting means intermediate the motor and the door, said means including a positively-driven friction member in driving engagement with the said friction-disk, to normally efiect continuous rotation of the'door, obstruction of the movement thereof causing relative slip of the friction-disk and the friction member in engagement therewith.

'5. The combination with a vertical, revolving door, an attached friction-disk, and a continuously-operating motor, of transmitting means intermediate the latter and the door, said means including a driven friction-disk, a movable support therefor, and means to maintain said disks normally in driving engagement while permitting ready stoppage of the door when obstructed in its movement.

6. The combination with a vertical, revolving door, and continuously-running driving means to rotate it, of transmitting and speedreducing frictiongearing intermediate the door and said driving means, to normally effect continuous rotation of the former.

7. The combination with a vertical, revolving door, and motive means to normally eflect continuous rotative movement of the door, of

a transmitting connection between the latter and said motive means, to permit ready stoppage of the door if its movement is unduly obstructed, and a clutch included in said connection, to compensate for temporary and manually-induced increased speed of the door without derangement of such connection or the driving means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. PEARSON.

Witnesses: NATHAN HEARD,

MABEL PARTELoW. 

